BSA B40 Works Trials bike 776BOP…

Photo from MotorCycle magazine 1961...

This is one of the machines from BSA that has had a long and changing past. The BSA first appeared in 

December 1960 at the Southern Experts trial and then again at the Aston Auto Cup trial a couple of weeks later when Jeff Smith rode the Alloy tanked C15T with a B40 lump installed. This was said to be a mobile test bed for the 350 scrambles bike engine before it was upped in CC’s by lengthening the stroke by 10mm and then named the Victor before production.

Jeff rode the bike for a while  but then in the Scottish Six Days of 1962 a broken wrist stopped Jeff riding the bike now with the Registration number 776 BOP. And the ride was handed to young Tony Davis who had been competing on his own BSA C15T that year with some factory support with spares etc, through his fathers BSA dealership.

Tony took to the 350 BSA like a duck to water and still says to this day that it was the best trials bike that he had ever ridden. Eventually when Tony was offered a factory ride on a Greeves along with his brother  the bike 776BOP was taken over by factory BSA  rider Jim Sandiford.

Jim competed on BOP up until 1966, when the bike was took out of trials service as a factory machine, and then rebuilt with new Victor OIF frame as used by the last works boys, and a C15 barrel and head replaced the B40 units making it 250 again but keeping the B40 bottom end, the bike now sporting the yellow coloured 1967-8 Victor tank on the bike was then passed onto author  and journalist  Max King who rode and wrote about the machine using it for articles that he wrote in his books . The bike BOP eventually after Max had bought it from BSA was passed on, it says to Ken Heanes in exchange for a ex works Triumph twin ISDT bike, in 1970… Not long after, the bike arrived into the Mick Bradbrook collection of ex works BSA trials machines. It stayed in this collection until the dispersal of the BSA’s by Mick in 1976… along with the 350 Goldie works bike (138 GOV) and the now again 250 ex Scott Ellis BOK 228C… 776 BOP after a brief stay with its then New owner, it was again purchased by the bikes ex later Star rider Jim Sandiford… Jim completely rebuilt BOP into the  image of the works BSA that he rode until 1966… It seems as the B40 bottom end of the works bike has always been retained according to the writings of Max King at that time. After riding BSA  776BOP in several now Pre65 trials including the Scottish trial... Sadly Jim passed away much to early in 1993… The machine was kept by the Sandiford family and run up every six months until its sale at auction in 2013 …. The Machine was snapped up by Yorkshire Farmer and Dairy company owner Bryan Payne… 776 BOP was then kept as a talking point and investment and well looked after, but never ridden up until this years 2024 Alvie Two Day Trial in Scotland… Trials riding family and farmers the Shepherd’s, Norman and Rob were  also one of the milk suppliers and friend of Bryan Payne, and through Alan Whitton  also a mate of Norman Shepherd, Bryan was asked if it was possible the machine 776 BOP could be loaned to them for the weekend of the trial, as it was a Works BSA featured event and works riders Tony Davis and Alan Lampkin along with Mike Bowers had been invited to appear. And it would be a chance for Tony Davis to have a gallop around the paddock on his old works machine…Alan Whitton  had the task of readying the machine that had been sat for 10 years… Oil and fuel were changed and carb and ignition sorted with the old Zenor diode system still fitted, Alan was amazed at  how quickly he got a spark on the system.. and the bike fired up and ran sweetly after a couple of kicks …

Photo Courtesy Alan Whitton...

Owner and keeper of BSA 350 776BOP from 2013 until November 2024. Yorkshire's Bryan Payne...

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After  the week end trial and photoshoot with Tony Davis sat aboard the old Jim Sandiford bike 776 BOP brought back fond memories of the bike BOP when he Tony rode it…And this event brought back into public awarness of the ninteen Sixties British trials bikes which were at the end of the day, only machines built from the parts used for the production road machines with competition shop input.

Alan delivered back BSA B40 776 BOP to Bryan Payne later the week after the event, and Bryan suggested to Alan that now the bike was running again, it may be time to pass on the machine to a collector, or someone that shared more interest in keeping the BSA Works trials bikes name alive. There was only one family that the bike with history could go then… So BSA B40 776 BOP now sits along side BSA 250 and BSA 300, etc, and other BSA’s on this site…belonging to the avid collectors and custodians of BSA competition trials History the Freeman's… 

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Photo Courtesy Max King Trials Riding Vol 5...

The late Max King aboard 776 BOP after it had been rebuilt at the factory and fitted with a BSA C15 head and barrel...(1969-70)

Photo Courtesy Offroad Archives Deryk Wylde...

Tony Davis aboard the bike that he loved and took too from the start of being given the ride, on BSA B40 776BOP...

Photo Courtesy the Sandiford Family...

Jim Sandiford had as many good results on the BSA B40 776 BOP as he did on his other works ride a BSA C15T ... along with the ISDT rides as well...

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Photo Courtesy Offroad Archives...

This Classic shot of 776 BOP and Jim Sandiford in the Scottish Six Days  brings back memories of the great era of British Trials bikes of the Sixties.

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Photo Courtesy Bryan Payne...

Jim Sandiford getting trade support checks on 776 BOP in the cattle market before the start of one of the Scottish Six Days Trials rides... 

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Photo Courtesy Alan Whitton...

Ex Works BSA B40 776 BOP out of ten years of slumber and ready for an outing to the Scottish Alvie trial in 2024...

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Photo Courtesy the Sandiford Family...

This photo of BSA B40 776 BOP in 2013 before being sold at auction, and you can see from the photo before it nothing has changed on the machine in those ten stroke eleven years.

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Photo Courtesy the Sandiford Family...

A collection of Stars with BOP at the start of an early Scottish Pre-65 trial...

From the left Norman Shepherd,  Bill Faulkner, Reg May, Sammy Miller and Jim Sandiford...

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Photo Courtesy Offroad Archives...

Farmer and trials rider Norman Shepherd with Mick Grant in discussion on the finer points of a BSA Bantam before Norman bought one in 2014...

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Photo Classic British Trials Bikes  Don Morley...

Jeff Smith riding in one of the 1961 National trials with the 343cc

 776 BOP...

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Photo Courtesy Offroad Archives...

Tony Davis now riding the Works B40 in the 1962 Wye Valley Traders trial...

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More on BSA 776 BOP later, and more of an update to the History of the Machine...

Updat2024/11...